The invention relates to a camera assembly of a motor vehicle, comprising a carrier, which can be fastened to a motor vehicle, a camera assembly, which is immovably fastened to the carrier and has an objective, and a cleaning unit, which is supported on the carrier and which is connected to a fluid line that conducts a cleaning fluid and which is used to clean the objective.
The use of camera units for perceiving the vehicle surroundings is well-known. For example, such camera units are used as parking assistance and/or maneuvering systems for motor vehicles, particularly to perceive the areas that are inaccessible with a conventional mirror. Usually, a camera unit is arranged at the rear end of the motor vehicle as an electronic parking assistance. By means of said camera unit, it is possible to perceive or film the surrounding area behind the motor vehicle. Generally, such a camera unit is activated when the reverse gear is engaged and the image is shown on a display in the cockpit of the motor vehicle. Usually, such camera units are attached outside of the vehicle at a position where they have a free view to the outside on the area to be perceived. However, the function of such camera units is only reliably ensured when the pictures taken with the camera assemblies are of good quality. The quality of the pictures is especially determined, as well as reduced, by contaminations of the objective of the camera unit.
DE 103 18 987 B3 disclosed a camera assembly, which is used to monitor the space behind a motor vehicle. For this purpose, a camera unit, i.e., a video camera, is installed at the rear end of the motor vehicle, the monitoring images of which are visible on a screen arranged in the driver's field of view. In these well-known camera assemblies, the objective of the camera unit is basically arranged inside the contour of the rear of the motor vehicle and is aligned diagonally downward to the rear. To reduce the risk of contamination of the objective of the camera unit, the rear end of the motor vehicle is provided with a depression, which has a stepped upper partition wall with an opening for a camera unit. The camera unit is mostly covered in the upper area of the depression. However, this arrangement has the disadvantage that it is difficult to access the objective of the camera unit for manual cleaning if the objective is contaminated.
For example, a camera assembly of the type mentioned above is known from DE 10 2010 005 311 A1, in which a camera unit is immovably assembled in the back door of a motor vehicle. In this camera assembly, the objective of the camera unit is arranged mostly covered inside the contour of the rear of the motor vehicle and is aligned diagonally downward to the rear. To avoid manual cleaning of the objective, a cleaning unit is arranged below the objective of the camera unit. The nozzle of the cleaning unit is directed to the objective of the camera unit. This prior art has the disadvantage that during the cleaning process the cleaning fluid can bounce off the objective in an uncontrolled manner and be sprayed to the surrounding area. As a result, for example, people in the immediate surroundings of the back door of the motor vehicle could be accidentally sprayed with cleaning fluid.